Back construction.



J. E. LA DOW.

BACK CONSTRUCTON.

APPLICATION FILED ocT.15. 1914.

Patented May 9, 1916.

Qw\ m Q mv Nl Wnesses ermee.

JESSE E. LA DOW, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WATSON R. SMITH, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN.

BACK CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1916.

Application filed October 15, 1914. Serial No. 866,841.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JEssn E. LA Dow, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jackson, in the county of Jackson and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Back Constructions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to chair or seat backs.

One object of the invention is to provide a spring back construction for railwayor other chairs, seats or the like, embodying among other characteristics such elements as will result in a saving of hair or other upholstering material, and which will readily conform under pressure to the shape or position of the users back.

Another object resides in the provision of a back construction for chairs, seats or the like, which embodies a single row of springs with an upholstering supporting member secured to the outer convolution of each spring and extending beyond the same toward the upper and lower edges of the back member, and which are movable under pressure on the ends thereof with the springs acting as the fulcrum for said supporting members, and whereby under pressure said supporting members are caused to conform `to the shape or position of the back of the user of the chair7 seat or the like. n

lVith the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing7 and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes maybe made in the form, proportion, size and minor details without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view through ay back structure embodying my invention, the dotted lines indicating various positions of one of the loop members under the influence of pressure exerted against the same. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the invention with the upholstering material removed. t

In carrying out the present invention, the back of the back ,construction may be composed of any suitable material. One form of back may consist of a piece of stiff cardboard or other suitable material 10 to the inner side of which may be tacked or otherwise secured spacedstrips of wood or other suitable material 11. These strips 11 have their upper ends relatively close to the upper edges of the material 10. The lower ends of the strips 11 do not extend quite so close to the lower edge of the material 10.

Clips 12 may be-disposed in alinement across the back from end to end thereof. As shown, these clips straddle the strips 11 and have their ends riveted or otherwise secured to the material 10 as indicated at 13. By virtue of the clips straddling the strips 11 and being secured at their ends to the material 10 they are bowed slightly and aid in firmly securing the strips 11 to the material 10. These alining clips are preferably arranged slightly olf from the center of the strips 11 and preferably above the center point thereof. A double cone or hour-glass spring 14 is preferably secured against each strip 11 by means of said clips 12. One way in which the positioning of these strips in this manner may be accomplished is by providing the respective clips with tongues l5 which are adapted to embrace the inner convolutions of the respective springs. In any event, the bases or inner convolutions of the springs are secured to the back of the structure firmly. If preferred there may be substituted for the clips 12 a single strip provided with tongues 15.

An upholstering lsupporting member is secured to the outer convolution of each spring. Each upholstering member may be of any suitable form and preferably overhangs the respective spring.' As shown, this over-hanging member which is designed to4 support the upholstering material is in the form of a loop 16 and is preferably composed of wire. One way in which the loop members 16 may be secured to the respective springs is to provide the parallel sides of the loop members with kinks 17. Clips 18 preferably embrace the kinks of the loop members and the outer convolutions of the respective springs, the connection between the loop members and the springs being firm so that cach loop member may have rocking or pivotal movement with the respective spring forming the fulcrum. ln

other words, inward pressure on the lower end of a loop member will cause the lower end of such loop member to be directed inward toward the back 10-11 which causes the upper end of such loop member to be thrown' outward. lf pressure be placed against the upper end of the loop member it is thrown inward with the lower end thrown outward. In this pivotal or rocking movement of the loop member under the influence of pressure, the outer convolution of the respective spring serves as the pivot therefor.

|The front of the structure is preferably formed of suitable upholstering material which is supported mainly by and held away from the back member, as usual, by means of the aforesaid loop members 16. For instance, fabric or other suitable material 19 may be secured in any suitable manner to the upper edge of the back of the structure and extended over the loop members and at its lower edge secured in any suitable manner to the lower edge of the back structure. Leather or other suitable material 20 is secured to the material 19 in such a way that hair or other upholstering material 21 may be placed between the fabric and leather materials. If desired, buttons 22 may connect these two materials at intervals in the usual manner of upholstering.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a suitable back is provided and that the front of the structure may consist of suitable upholstering material which is supported by a plurality of front members preferably in the form of loops 16 with the front and back normally spaced by means of a. single row of springs and that, by virtue of the construction and arrangement thus described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, a structure is provided which embodies simplicity in that numerous springs ordinarily employed for the purpose are eliminated, and that comparatively little hair or other upholstering material is employed.

The result accomplished is that the single row of springs employed may be made fairly stiff and the loop members 16 secured to the outer ends of the springs have rocking or pivotal or see-saw like action so that when the user or occupant of the seat leans back against the back construction, either end of the loop members against which pressure is exerted follows the concavity of the users back. If the rider should bend forward the lower end of the member 16 against which pressure is exerted would move in, while the upper end would go out and follow the shape of the users back or, should the user lean backward on the upper end of a member 16, the lower end would move out, following the shape of the users back. In other words, no matter in what position the user may sit, the construction conforms to the shape of the back and providesV a perfectly easy back'structure.

Vhat is claimed is:

1. A back structure for chairs, seats or the like, comprising a back, a row of springs connected to the back, a loop member connected to each spring and extending laterally beyond-the same toward the upper and lower edges of the back, and upholstering material disposed over said loop members and secured to the back whereby pressure against the ends of the loop members will cause pivotal movement of the latter.

2. A back structure for chairs, comprising a back, a single row of springs secured to the back between the upper and lower edges of the back and slightly off from the center thereof, a member secured to the outer convolution of each spring and overhanging the same so that pressure upon either end of said overhanging members will cause pivotal movement of the same.

3. A back construction comprising a back, a row of springs secured to the back, and a loop element secured to each spring and overhanging the same on opposite sides thereof, said overhanging loop elements having independent pivotal movement under pressure exerted thereupon with said springs forming the fulcrumstherefor.

4. Aback construction comprising a back, a spring secured to the back, an element secured to the spring and overhanging the same on opposite sides thereof, the opposite ends of said element being free of the structure and movable toward and away from the back so that it may be rocked on said spring as a fulcrum under pressure exerted upon the ends thereof.

5. A back construction comprising a back, a spring secured to the back, an element secured to the spring and overhanging` the same on opposite sides thereof, the opposite ends of said element being free of the structure and movable towardY and away from the back so that it may be rocked on said spring as a fulcrum under pressure exerted upon the ends thereof` and upholstering material secured to the back and between the edges of the back supported away from the back by said element.

6. A back structure for chairs or the like comprising a back member, a single row of springs secured to and extending across the back member, loop members composed of wire and having kinks in opposite sides, one loop member for each spring, clips connecting the kinked portions of the loops to the outer convolutions of the respective springs, and upholstering material disposed over said looped members and secured to the back member whereby pressure against the ends of the loop members will cause rocking movement of the latter.

7. A back structure for chairs or the like comprising a back member, a single row of springs secured to and extending across the back member' slightly above a line drawn horizontally through the center of the back member, a loop member connected to each spring and extending laterally beyond the same toward the upper and lower edges of the back'and to substantially equal extent on opposite sides of the respective springs, said loop members being composed of Wire and upholstering material disposed over said loop members and secured to the back whereby the loop members are capable of rocking movement on the respective springs 15 with the latter acting as fulcrums for the rocking movement of the Wire loop members.

In testimony whereof I aillx my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JESSE E. LA DOW.

Witnesses: RALPH L. WiLCox,

W. R. SMITH.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

